Unbeaten in the Grand Slams in 2025, Madison Keys faces 2022 French Open runner-up Coco Gauff in Wednesday's all-American quarter-final.
Keys enters the last-eight match in Paris on an 11-match winning streak in Slams, aiming to make it 12 against her compatriot, who is pursuing her third semi-final in four years in Paris.
Match preview
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After a titanic contest against Sofia Kenin in the third round, where both were former Grand Slam champions, Keys defeated Hailey Baptiste on Monday to reach the quarter-finals in the French capital for only the third time.
Having made back-to-back appearances in the last eight in 2018 and 2019, the Aussie Open champion had to wait six years to reach the quarters here again and now seeks a third consecutive victory over an American opponent to match her 2018 run to the semis.
The 30-year-old's 6-3, 7-5 victory over Baptiste made her the oldest American to advance to the last eight Down Under and in Paris since Serena Williams achieved this nine years ago in 2016, and the Illinois-born player intends to advance to the semis and potentially the final, emulating the retired star.
Entering Wednesday's contest against Gauff with an 11-0 record in majors this season, Keys aims for her 12th success to set up a semi-final clash with teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva or Lois Boisson.
The Australian Open champion has secured consecutive wins over the player nine years her junior, including victory in their clay-court battle in Madrid last year, and seeks a third to reach back-to-back Grand Slam semi-finals in the same year for the first time in her career.
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Beating her compatriot will be no simple task, especially if the 2023 US Open champion maintains her decent serving level from Monday against Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Gauff, prone to errors on her forehand and double faults when her serve falters, made only 11 unforced errors with her forehand and double-faulted four times in a confident win over the Russian.
Having handed Alexandrova a bagel in the first set, the 21-year-old, broken in the second, recovered with two breaks of her own to secure a 6-0, 7-5 victory in just one hour and 22 minutes, advancing to another quarter-final in the French capital.
The outcome of Monday's victory means the 21-year-old has reached the last eight in Paris for five straight seasons since a second-round exit in 2020, highlighting her consistency at the event.
Entering Wednesday's all-American contest with a 24-5 career Roland Garros record, the one-time Grand Slam winner is seeking her 25th victory to secure consecutive semi-final appearances at the same Major for the first time.
While becoming the fourth-youngest player (21 years and 73 days) in the Open Era to reach five straight quarter-finals in Paris — following in the footsteps of Martina Hingis, Steffi Graf and Conchita Martinez — is an impressive achievement, the young player will not rest on her laurels as she pursues another last-four berth in Paris at the expense of her compatriot.
Tournament so far
Madison Keys:
First round: vs. Daria Saville 6-3 6-2
Second round: vs. Katie Boulter 6-4 6-3
Third round: vs. Sofia Kenin 6-4 4-6 6-3
Round of 16: vs. Hailey Baptiste 6-3 7-5
Coco Gauff:
First round: vs. Olivia Gadecki 6-2 6-2
Second round: vs. Tereza Valentova 6-2 6-4
Third round: vs. Marie Bouzkova 6-1 7-6(3)
Round of 16: vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0 7-5
Head To Head
Madrid (2024) - Round of 16: Keys 7-6 4-6 6-4
Eastbourne (2023) - Semi-final: Keys 6-3 6-3
Dubai (2023) - Quarter-final: Gauff 6-2 7-5
US Open (2022) - Third round: Gauff 6-2 6-3
Adelaide (2022) - Semi-final: Keys 3-6 6-2 7-5
Although Keys leads Gauff 3-2 in their head-to-head meetings, this all-American rivalry has ebbed and flowed.
The older player won their first encounter in Adelaide three years ago, only for the nine-time WTA titlist to win the next two, taking a 2-1 lead.
However, Keys has since achieved consecutive victories over the 2023 US Open champion, including her most recent win on the clay courts of Madrid last year.
Both women boast nearly identical records against top-10 opponents this year, with the world No. 8 standing at 5-2 for the season, while Gauff has claimed five of her eight matchups against elite rivals.
We say: Gauff to win in three sets
Given Gauff's tendency to struggle with errors on her forehand wing and serve, Wednesday's contest is likely to be unpredictable.
Nevertheless, the 21-year-old is expected to snap her two-match losing streak against Keys, thereby halting the Australian Open champion's winning run at the Slams, and advance to her third French Open semi-final.
